Theft accounts for a significant portion of the losses incurred in the retail sector. A number of technologies have been implemented in retail stores in an attempt to reduce losses due to theft. For example, security devices such as electromagnetic and acoustomagnetic responsive transponders have been used to alert store personnel of an ongoing theft. The transponders have been manufactured into or in the shape of a label, e.g., a bar code label, to disguise their identity, and placed on the surface of the item. The transponders also have been placed inside retail items, e.g., inside the jacket of a book. However, over time, would-be perpetrators have learned to remove these labels, thus eliminating the theft protection afforded by these devices.
Further compounding this problem is the theft of register rolls for the purpose of printing fake receipts. The fake receipt and the stolen item then may be presented to the store for a cash refund. In this manner, stolen items can be converted to retail cash value.